Grinding-mill.



A. J. McCONE.

Patnted Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

WITNESSES:

' ATTORNEY A. J. MQCONE. GRINDING MILL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, I915.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

A TTORME Y To all whom it may concern:

ALEXANDER J. MoCONEl, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GRINDING-MILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 19315.

Application fild March 29, 1915. Serial No. 17,741. i

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER CONE, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Los Angeles, in the county of Los- Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grin(ling-l /Iills,of which the following is a specification.

I My invention relates to the class of grinding-mills, and particularly to that type commonly called tube-mills, in which the grinding is effected by free grinding-weights within a barrel rotating on its axis.

The object of my invention is to provide a mill of this general type, in which the material, in its course through the barrel, is presented to the grinding action of the weights in the most effective manner, by introducing it below said weights and causing it to rise between them; and further, to thus subject the material repeatedly to grinding action in successive grinding compartments; and, also, if desired, to subject the material as it flows by gravity through the compartments, to the action of grinders decreasing in weight in successive compartments.

To this end my invention consists in the novel grinding-mill which I shall now fully describe, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view taken from the discharge end of the mill, the view being partly broken to show the decreasing weight of the grinders in successive grinding compartments. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal central section of the grinding mill.

The barrel of the mill comprises the cylindrical shell 1, the head 2 and the head 3,, the former having the axially disposed feed opening 4 and the latter the similarly located discharge opening 5, which last named opening is of greater diameter than the feed opening. The shell'has the flange runners 6, to which the heads are bolted, as shown at 7. The flange runners 6 rest in grooved rollers 8 mounted on shafts 8 in suitable bearings 9 in a base 9.

The" shell is provided with a peripheral flange 10 to which is bolted the gear 11. With the gear 11 meshes a pinion 12 on a shaft 13 mounted in brackets 14 rising from the base9, said shaft being driven by a pulley 15. Thus the barrel is mounted, and is adapted to be rotated upon its axis. I

Interiorly the barrel is divided into a plu- J. Mo-

grinding compartments. The

rality of grinding compartments by trans verse partitions 16.

There may be any number of these compartments, two or more. For illustration, I have here shown three compartments, which are formed by two partitions 16. Each partition has a central opening 17, and it is to be noted that these openings, compared with the feed opening at and the dischargeopening 5, successively increase in diameter in a direction from the feed to the discharge ends of the barrel, the opening 17 of the partition nearest the feed head 2 having a diameter greater than that of the feed opening 4 in said head, and the opening 17 of the partition nearest the discharge head 3, having a diameter greater than that of the opening in the preceding partition, but less in diameter than that of the discharge opening 5 in said head. The flowof mat rial through the barrel from the feed to the discharge is thus effected by grzwity.

The inlet from the feed opening 1 to the first compartment, and from one compartment to the succeeding compartment is not direct or central but is indirect and peripheral. This is effected by means of a feedpocket for each compartment, each pocket receiving the mmterial centrally and delivering it peripherally. These feed-pockets are formed by the plates 18 associated with the feed-head 2 and the partitions l6 respectively. There is one of these plates opposing and spaced from the inner surface of the feed-head 2, another in similar relation to the first partition 16, and another in like relation to the second partition 16, thus providing a feed-pocket for each of the three functional communication of these pockets with their respective compartments is peripheral, and is best effected through a number of small .holes 19. The pocket plates 18 are formed with central openings 20, but these have a diameter not greater than that of the feed opening 4, so that they do not admit a direct flow-communication, nor'interfere with the tortuous course or flow intended for the material. The purpose of these central openings 20 is simply that of hand-holes to aiford access to the interior to remove or replace the grinding weights to be presently mentioned, or to change them about from one compartment to another.

Each grinding compartment is protected by a wearing lining 21, which linings, as

well as the barrel wall, are perforated, as

shown at 22, to enable the contents to be heads 2 and 3 and the partitions 16, with their respectively associated plates 18, holding the said-partitions and plates in their respective positions relative to the said heads when the latter are bolted to the end flanges 6 of the barrel 1 by the bolts 7. Thus, by removing the heads 2 and 3, all the interior wearing surfaces of the barrel may be readily removed for the purposes of inspection or replacement. I

In each compartment are placed the loose or free grinding-weights 24. These maybe of any shape desired and usual in the general type of tube mills. They may, therefore, be balls or cobbles or as I have shown them, they may be rolls. This form is preferable for many reasons known in the art,

and when such grinders are used, then in to have them of difl'erent sizes, those of largest diameter being in the first compartment, and those of successively decreasing diameters in each-succeeding compartment.

The operationof the mill is as follows:- The material is supplied through the feed opening Fl. It falls into the first feed-pocket formed by the first plate 18. From this pocket it'passes throughithe holes 19 intothe first grinding compartment, Being introduced at the periphery, it must, necessarily, pass beneath the grinding rolls, and rise through between them, thereby being exposed fully and completely to their crushing action. Rising in the first compartment, the material flows by gravity through the opening 17 in the first partition 16 into the second feed-pocket. From this pocket it flows through the holes 19 of the second plate 18 into the second grinding compartment in like manner as it flowed into the first compartment. Herein, again rising between the grinding rolls, it is subjected to further grinding, and thence in like manner, it continues its flow through the succeeding pockets and grinding compartments, to its discharge through the opening 5. Thus the material is repeatedly subjected to grinding action, being exposed thereto in the best manner, until it is reduced to the desired fineness; The advantage of having the grinding weights or rolls successively smaller in succeeding compartments is that the material when coarsest may be subjected to the heavier rolls, and as the rolls wear away, they may be successively transferred to sue; ceeding compartments, thereby materially lengthening their life ofusefulness.

I claim 1. A grinding mill comprising a rotatable barrel with removable heads, one of said heads having a central feed opening and the. other having a central discharge opening of greater diameter than the said feed opening; a pocket-forming plate remov-ably associated with the said feed head, in spaced relationthereto, said plate having peripheralv discharge openings into the barrel; a removabletransverse partition dividing said barrel interiorly into a pluralityof grinding compartments, said partition having a cencentral opening in said feedhead, but less than the central opening in said discharge head; a second pocket-forming plate removably associated with the .said partition in spaced relation thereto, said plate having peripheral discharge openings into the succeeding compartment of the barrel; and in terior wearing linings for the peripheral -wall of the barrel, said linings serving as spacers between the pocket-forming plates,

, partition and heads;

1 v 2. A grinding mill comprising a rotatable barrelwith removable heads, one of said heads having a central feed opening and the other having a central discharge opening of greater diameterfthan the said feed opening; a pocket-forming plate removably associated with said feed head, in spaced relationthereto, said plate having peripheral discharge'openings into the barrel, and a central hand hole ot a diameter not greater than said feed opening; a removable transverse partition dividing said barrel interiorly into a plurality of. grinding compart-- ments, said partition having a central opening of a diameter greater thanthe central opening in the said feed head but less than the centralvopening in the said discharge head; a second pocket-forming plate removably associated with said partition in spaced relation thereto, said plate having peripheral discharge openings into the succeeding conipartment'of the barrel, and a central hand hole of adiameter not greater than the opening in the said feedhead; and interior wearing linings for the peripheral wall of the barrel servingas spacers between the pocket-forming plates, partition and heads 3. A grinding-mill comprising a rotatable barrel having in one head an axially disposed feedopening and in its other head an axially disposed discharge opening, the discharge opening having a diameter greater ments, said partition having an axially dis-' than that of the feed opening; a transverse partition fixed Within the barrel and dividing it into a plurality of grinding compartments, said partition having anaxially dis posed opening of a diameter greater than that of the feed opening and less than that of the discharge opening; pocket-forming plates fixed transversely in the barrel and associated With the feed head and said transverse partition, one plate being adjacent to and spaced from the inner surface of the feed head of the barrel and another plate being disposed in similar relation to the partition, each of said plates having holes in its peripheral region whereby the pocket spaces formed by the plates communicate with the peripheral region of the grindingcompartments; and free grinding-Weights in each grinding compartment.

4. A grinding-mill comprising a rotatable barrel having in one head an axially disposed feed opening and in its other head an axially disposed discharge opening, the discharge opening having a diameter greater than that of the feed opening; a transverse partition fixed within the barrel and dividing it into a plurality of grinding compartposed opening of a diameter greater than that of the feed opening and less than that of the discharge opening; pocket-forming plates fixed transversely in the barrel, and associated respectively With the feed-head and the said transverse partition, one plate being adjacent to and spaced from the'inner surface of the feed head of the barrel and another plate being disposed in similar relation to the partition, each of said plates having its rim deflected backwardly and provided With holes through said deflected rim, Which said holes communicate with the 'peripheral region of the grinding compartments; and free grinding-Weights in each posed opening of a diameter greater than that of the feed opening and less than that of the discharge opening; pocket-forming plates fixed transversely'in the barrel, associated respectively with the feed-head and the said transverse partition, one plate being adjacent to and spaced from the inner surface of the feed head of the barrel and another plate being disposed in similar relation to the partition, each of'said plates having a hand hole in its center and having also holes in its peripheral region whereby the pocket spaces formed by the plates communicate with the peripheral region of the grinding compartments; and free grinding- Weights in each grinding compartment.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALEXANDER J. MoCONE.

Witnesses:

WM. F. BOOTH, D. B. RICHARDS. 

